Archive for June 12th, 2008
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Kung Fu Panda was pretty awesome. Kids will like it because it’s a cartoon. Adults will like it because it brings back the good ol’ days of kung fu movies. Jack Black is Po the panda. He dreams of being a kung fu master, but instead is the son of a noodle chef. He’s got five idols, Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross). Shifu, the wombat-looking kung-fu master, is voiced by Dustin Hoffman. Michael Clarke Duncan has a small voiced role as a prison warden. Anyway, some of the predictable themes from the kung fo movies of yore are present in this one. Overcoming impossible odds, finding and fulfilling your destiny, etc. it’s kind of a “Little Engine That Could” story, but less inspiration and more entertainment.
Jack Black has experience doing cartoon voice-overs. He was in Shark Tale and Ice Age. I love his humor. It’s very subtle (which I guess is why NPR’s FilmWeek said the film’s comedy was muted) but very effective. Dustin Hoffman’s been in a few The Simpsons episodes, but that’s about it. Angelina Jolie was also in Shark Tale, as well as Beowulf, which is kind of an animated film. We all know Jackie Chan, but he really didn’t say too much in here. And neither did Lucy Liu. Seth Rogen (from Superbad and Knocked Up) also had a minor role. Po’s dad is played by James Hong. He’s usually typecast because of his accent.
Kung Fu Panda was cowritten by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (both of whom did some Mad TV and King of the Hill episodes). Codirected by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson (who has worked in the art department on Shrek 2 and Madagascar).
Go see it!
